1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of toys for children. More specifically the present invention relates to a figure imitating the appearance of an animal or a person, preferably taking the form of a stuffed animal which includes a body having a translucent face portion, and which contains means for illuminating the face portion and generating fanciful sounds intended to represent vocal sounds made by the represented character. The figure body is preferably configured as a Teddy Bear having a torso with a head and four limbs in the form of two arms with paws and two legs. The torso and head contain cavities for retaining mechanical and electrical elements, and the conventional face portion material is replaced with a circular sheet of luminescent material covered by a translucent dome having a buffed or abraded inner surface to obscure internal mechanisms from view. The dome apex exterior surface may be covered by a fur covered nose and mouth structure marked and configured to represent a figure nose and mouth. Anchored to the inside surface of the dome apex and behind the nose and mouth structure are first ends of two coil springs which project toward the luminescent sheet. An eye disk of black pigmented metal or plastic is affixed to each of the spring second ends.
The luminescent sheet absorbs and stores a quantity of energy radiated by ambient lighting as well as internal figure electric lighting and illuminates when the ambient lights are shut off, so that the figure face glows. The eye disks appear in silhouette against the luminescent sheet to represent figure eye pupils and each eye disk also casts a visible shadow against the dome which appears to surround the given eye pupil and to suggest the white of the figure eye. The eye disks are mounted on the coil springs so that any sudden displacement, or even a subtle movement, of the figure causes the eye disks to move relative to the dome and subsequently to giggle and bounce on the springs until their kinetic energy is all converted to heat and dissipated, creating a pleasing and relatively life-like animated effect.
The figure preferably contains four optional electric circuits, one electric light source circuit, first and second sound circuits and a rheostat circuit. The electric light source is preferably an incandescent bulb located within the dome with wiring extending down into the chest cavity. The electric light source is powered through a light source circuit including a battery located in the torso cavity wired to a first pressure switch in the nose and mouth structure, to a second pressure switch in the chest cavity and to a magnetic switch in each of the paws. The electric light circuit contains capacitor means causing power reaching the electric light source to increase progressively upon activation to its maximum magnitude, such that light emitted by the electric light source gradually increases in brightness to full intensity.
The torso cavity also contains the first sound circuit which is constructed to emit a stored sound simulating a kiss, a giggle, a laugh, or some other sound when pressure is applied against the figure mouth such as by a person or by the mouth region of another such figure, and the second sound circuit to emit motion responsive sounds representing vocal sounds when the torso is squeezed. The second sound circuit is preferably incorporated into a mechanical structure which is contained within the chest cavity.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have long been toy animals and dolls, some of which have contained electric illumination circuits. Others have contained circuits and hardware for generating simulated vocal sounds when activated in some way.
Stuffed toy body illumination is disclosed in DeMars, U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,401, issued on Jul. 12, 1994. DeMars teaches a stuffed animal which is described as a blushing toy, having translucent domes mounted at either side of the face to define cheeks, each cheek dome containing an incandescent bulb wired to an electric circuit. The circuit includes a facial plate which moves rearwardly when a child presses against the animal face and thereby completes the circuit to light the bulbs and makes the cheeks glow and appear to blush.
Copely, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,376 issued on May 19, 1992 reveals a toy animal with an illuminated belly. Copely includes a translucent dome over the belly area and an incandescent bulb belly light wired to an electric circuit containing a touch-activated switch protruding from the apex of the dome. Touching the switch activates the belly light, which remains light until a certain length of time has elapsed, whereupon a timer opens the circuit and thus deactivates the belly light. Fogarty, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,861, issued on Aug. 14, 1984, discloses a doll containing an electric lighting circuit including an incandescent bulb and a pressure activated switch.
Sound generation is disclosed in Ting, U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,282, issued on May 18, 1993. Ting discloses a toy containing a squeeze switch which activates either sound stored in a chip, a light source or a vibration mechanism. The squeeze switch includes a switch housing with a forward cup-shaped portion which telescopingly fits around a rearward cup-shaped portion. The housing includes sound passing ports and contains an electric power circuit which is closed and activated by squeezing the housing forward and rearward portions telescopically toward each other and deactivated by permitting an internal spring to drive the housing portions telescopically away from each other. The squeeze switch may be mounted in the belly of a stuffed animal. Lam, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,180, issued on Jan. 25, 1994, teaches a doll containing a sound generator with pressure switch and optical sensor activation means.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an imitative figure having a face structure and material which stores energy from ambient lighting and which radiates light to glow when ambient lighting is substantially diminished or removed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a figure having a face region containing an electric light source, the electric light source being activated by applying pressure to the mouth area or chest area of the toy or by bringing pressing opposing limb extremities such as paws or hands together with each other or together with a paw of another such figure, so that the paws or hands are interactive, the light source emitting light of gradually increasing brightness until reaching full intensity.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a figure which not only produces sounds, but also responds to certain sounds to activate the electric light source in the face portion.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a figure containing sound generation means which generates a kissing, giggling or other sound when pressure is applied to the mouth area of the toy and which generates a babbling sound of varying pitches when pressure is applied to the chest area of the toy and the toy is abruptly moved.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a figure in which the pitch of the sound generated is varied by variations in ambient light intensity reaching a photocell exposed in the figure upper chest, such that the apparatus generates sounds of higher pitches when in brighter daytime ambient light than when in lower evening ambient light and thus seems more lively and animated in the daytime.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such a figure which is economical to manufacture and durable for long and rugged use.